16 years ago, Queen organized a grand concert in Kharkiv: what record did Ukrainians set and why the band did not perform in Kyiv

Exactly 16 years ago, Kharkiv hosted the first concert of the legendary band Queen in Ukraine. The free performance of the British musicians together with singer Paul Rodgers lit up Kharkiv's Freedom Square on September 12, 2008. The event was organized by the Anti-AIDS Foundation with the support of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an international charitable organization named after the late lead singer Freddie Mercury that fights HIV/AIDS worldwide.

The slogan of the spectacular concert was the phrase "Life must go on" , which was a reference to the famous song "Show must go on". Back then, the world legends set a record by gathering more than 350 thousand spectators in the heart of Kharkiv. At the time, more than 10 million Ukrainians watched the performance live on television. The concert lasted two and a half hours and featured 28 songs. Kharkiv was the first stop on Queen's European tour. This can be seen in the recording of the historic event on YouTube.

"The band recalls the event as "an unforgettable experience... one of those rare moments in life that you know you will never forget. A meeting in music, as well as uniting to fight a common misfortune..." - the description to the video reads.

It's worth noting that the musicians shared a recording of the concert on social media in March 2022, responding to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The celebrities created a fundraiser to support the Ukrainian people. The historic video has garnered over 7 million views on the platform.

It's interesting that the band specifically chose Kharkiv, not Kyiv, as a venue for the show. Later, the organizers explained why they made this choice. It was because the target audience of the event was young people, and Kharkiv was considered the capital of Ukrainian students.

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